ESPN Swings for the Online Fences

ESPN signed a deal with Major League Baseball Advanced Media to live-stream games as well as put content from America’s past time across a wide range of digital outlets.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but ESPN will get to simulcast Sunday, Monday and Wednesday Night Baseball on ESPN360.com and on ESPN Mobile TV. ESPN will also get to offer baseball-related programming through Apple iTunes and Xbox Live Marketplace.

However, the deal is subject to local blackouts. In an interview with paidContent, MLBAM’s President and CEO Bob Bowman said “We understand the importance of local rights economically, philosophically, and baseball was wise to set up the system they have. When the time is right and in the manner that is right, it will occur. Maybe in five years but no one knows.”

Earlier this week, ESPN said it was interested in bidding for the 2014 and 2016 Olympic games (with no tape delays). If ESPN was ever going to ratchet up its online offerings, now is the time. Viewers are tuning in to sports online, and it’s only going to get bigger. The NFL is streaming games this season as well as going mobile, the NBA is considering local streaming of live games, oh, and those Olympics are doing quite well too.